Broadway’s finest on ice

Magic City Figure Skating Club to perform

March 4, 2014

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway, and hopefully those neon lights will be just as bright on the ice when members of the Magic City Figure Skating Club bring their performances of figure skating routines featuring songs from Tony Award-winning musicals to the Minot community.

The Magic City Figure Skating Club will present its ice show, "The 67-1/2 Tony Awards On Ice," March 28-30 in the Maysa Arena in Minot.

Magic City Figure Skating Club choreographer Darren Browning and director Rodrigo Menendez have put together the club's ice show, featuring about 76 figure skaters ranging from age 6 to adult.

Article Photos

Jill Hambek/MDNFigure skaters with the Magic City Figure Skating Club practice their skills for the group’s upcoming ice show to be held in the Maysa Arena in Minot Mar. 28-30.

This ice show is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the figure skating club, Browning said. Thirty minutes before the ice show performances, the synchronized skating team will give a demonstration of its skating style.

There will be a wide variety of songs from Tony Award-winning musicals featured in the ice show. Some of the musicals featured in the ice show include songs from "Matilda," "The Lion King," "Mary Poppins," "Mamma Mia!" and "Annie," as well as numerous others.

Browning said he chose musicals that were Tony Award winners for no particular reason. "It was just something to do that's cool," he said. "Minot is a small town and coming from Boston, I thought I'd bring the Tony Awards here to Minot."

While the figure skaters are currently practicing more since the ice show is at the end of the month, Browning said there will be a long rehearsal this Thursday evening. The skaters have also been practicing off the ice once a week for a couple of months prior.

This past weekend, the skaters, who have spent a lot of time practicing the choreography off the ice, tried their routines on the ice, which Browning said went well. "Because ice is one of the most expensive features to rent, they (the skaters) have done most of their practicing off ice," he said. "The first time we tried (the routines) on the ice, they came together with only a few minor issues."

The choreography is a little different than the skaters are used to, Browning said, but they are enjoying dancing more on the ice along with skating. "They're learning how to do a lot more choreography like you'd see on 'Disney On Ice' and they're really enjoying it," he said. Menendez is a former skater with "Disney On Ice."

"The lighting and costumes will be exciting, too," Browning said.

Browning and Menendez have been with the skating club since September 2013. So far, their time with the club has been going well and both the club and number of skaters in it have been growing. Some of the skaters got fired up after watching the 2014 Winter Olympics and worked a little harder to land their jumps, Browning said.

The ice show will be an annual event, Browning said, and is their biggest money-maker for the Magic City Figure Skating Club. They plan to have two shows each year, the smaller one being the Halloween show and the big one being held in the spring. Browning said the skaters audition for the Halloween show, but everyone is included in the spring show.

"We're gearing the shows for the community," Browning said. "We want people to know that they don't have to have a skater in the show in order to enjoy it. They can come to the show and be entertained."

Performances will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 28, 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 30. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door, with children age 3 and under admitted for free. Tickets can be purchased at Broadway Bean & Bagel and Sammy's Pizza.